Krufft, Heinrich (16th century)

Heinrich (von) Krufft was a capmaker, a preacher of the Anabaptists at Cologne . As early as 1560 the council of this city had learned that the Anabaptists numbered 40, and that their head was Heinrich Krufft, "a small squat man, who also dispenses baptism outside the city." Little is known of him; nothing concerning his death. His wife, Anna Derenbach, was expelled from Cologne in August 1565. Perhaps he is identical with Johann Krufft, who was baptized in the fall of 1534, by Gerhard (or Arnold) Westerburg. Ludwig Keller surmises that he is Pastor Johann at Rodenkirchen (Rembert, 475, note 1). Heinrich Krufft was a close friend of Matthias Servaes . With him he traveled to München-Gladbach, preaching and baptizing. Servaes wrote him two letters from prison. Heinrich Krufft wrote two songs: "Herr Gott, ich muss nun klagen," and "Hinweg ist mit genommen," which name him acrostically.